Childhood Friends
by honeybood
Summary: After the slaughter of his clan, young Sasuke finds himself under the protection of Konohana's oldest and most powerful noble clans. Thus begins the tragically imperfect friendship of Uchiha and Hyuuga as their innocence dies together. SasuHina
1. Be our guest

Please be kind.

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Weather is mysterious in many ways. In Konohana, the weather is usually very nice. If you stretched out your arms to the sky in the spring, there is a soft breeze in the air that passes through your fingers like silk. Summertime is a very humid time, but it also becomes an excuse to go down to the waterfall or the ice cream shop. Fall and winter are especially cooler times but it is rare for Konohana to have snow. Normal weather consists of a bright sun and a beautiful blue sky with a few white clouds that small children and Shikamaru can imagine all sorts of shapes.

Konohana's weather is strange as well. Like it understands when something is wrong and adapts to it. It warns the whole village of the immense pain of a single person. For example, the air held a malevolent chill the night little Sasuke arrived home late from school. It was not only Uchiha Sasuke who had to walk through the empty streets in eerie silence. Everyone in the village did; they left shops without a word, passed acquaintances without acknowledgement, walked not hearing anything but the sounds of their own movement. It was not like everyone was in conflict with one another; it was just that the dark aura made it feel like there was nothing to say. Not everyone heard the screams of the innocent little boy, but everyone felt the chill.

By the time the ninja realized, it was too late. The blood was already in the air and the little boy's trauma had begun.

Another example of strange weather would be the day little Hyuuga Hinata had to stay inside because of the pouring rain. At late evening, she hid behind her father, tightly clinging to his clothes for security as she stared at the ANBU ninja at her door. The high level ranked ninja were soaked head to toe just like the boy who stood next to them; the boy they were escorting whom Hinata recognized. Droplets of water ran down the ANBU's white and red masks as they asked to speak to Hinata's father privately to discuss the serious situation Hinata's naiveté could not comprehend.

Hyuuga Hiashi ordered his daughter to watch Sasuke while he spoke to the ANBU. Hinata nodded shyly feeling the pressure of the ANBU's gaze. She remembered the sound of the adults' steps and how she jumped at the slamming of the sliding door.

So there stood Hinata and Sasuke, three feet apart with no attempts to move from either party. Hinata squeezed the fabric of her kimono nervously, not knowing what to do. She noticed how his clothes stuck to his skin and how water dripped off the tips of his hair. She was going to recommend she get a towel for him but decided against it when he looked up and stared at her when she tried to stutter out the suggestion.

_He's not like how he was that time… _She thought to herself.

The silence continued. Hinata grew more and more nervous at the statue-like figure in front of her. She glanced at Sasuke; he stared at nothing without a sound as she was unaware of the horrors that were playing over and over in his head. His eyes only saw the shine of the bloody blade and the bodies of the Uchiha name. Sasuke was lifeless. Hinata was scared.

She made an attempt to talk to him again, "A-a—S-Sasu—"

The door slammed opened and Hinata jumped once again but this time it was accompanied by a whispered squeak. The ANBU bowed respectfully to the head of the Hyuuga clan and left. Hinata looked expectantly at her father.

"Do you know this boy Hinata?" Hiashi's strong voice asked.

"…" Hinata responded with inaudible words.

"Speak up!"

"A-a-aano… S-S-Sasuke attends t-the Academy with me." She bowed shameful of her timid nature.

"He is your classmate, correct?" Hiashi spoke firmly.

"Y-yes father."

"He will be staying with us for a while."

Innocent eyes stared wide at her father then to Sasuke, not knowing the appropriate way to react. Hiashi ordered the two children to follow him as he walked away from the front door and down a hall. The two kindergardeners remained still for a moment, taking in this new change. For the first time Sasuke made the first move to speak.

"Please take care of me from now on." Sasuke said respectfully in a low voice tinged with bitterness.

Deeper into the Hyuuga mansion the three walked, the night rain drizzled against the household making the home seems more eerie. Hiashi addressed the rules of the Hyuuga household to Sasuke, making it absolutely clear to the little boy that he was to follow these rules while he was rooming there. Sasuke did not answer or comment and Hiashi did not ask for one. The Hyuuga clan leader also spoke harsh hints that Sasuke should be grateful for his generosity. As if on cue, thunder came crashing down making Hinata jump and shriek in a small voice.

The two children came to a halt upon reaching their destination. Hiashi slid open the door to this right gesturing to Sasuke, "This is where you will sleep."

While Hiashi gave details that someone will tend to his needs, Sasuke stepped inside and closed the door without a word to any of them. Hinata was shocked to see her father not bothered by her classmate's ill-manners. Hiashi made another gesture for Hinata to follow him, which she obliged.

"Hinata, I leave that boy to you." Her father said still looking straight head of him.

She momentarily looked up at the back of his head, "Father?"

Hiashi told Hinata that Sasuke will be her responsibility. She was to take care of his food, make sure he is taking care of his hygiene, accompany him to school, and whatever else Sasuke may need. This would be part of her training he continued. So the person tending to Sasuke father was talking about was her, she thought while touching her lip timidly. She was being raised as the heir, that was true, but she was also female, meaning that she was also to be raised as a respectable lady. In other words, a respectable wife.

Hiashi abruptly stopped again, turning around to face his daughter full force making Hinata feel smaller than she already was.

"Don't mess this up Hinata."

"Y-yes f-father…" she confirmed softly not sounding to convincing.

She bowed once more before her father turned to leave. She looked at the door that stood tall next to her, and then she looked over her shoulder at the hall she had just come from, her eyes locking on a particular door that held a particular person.

Sasuke's room was to be just down the hall from her own.

And tomorrow she would have Sasuke under her care. Things were happening to fast for her. The little girl did not understand why her father had given her such a task for such a girl at her age. She did not know how was supposed to take care of a boy her age but she was going to try so what she could gain her father's recognition. Yes, this would her chance to make her father proud.

A determined Hinata thought these things while she went into her room and climbed into bed. What no one had realized was that little Hinata had unknowingly lost a little innocence they day Sasuke stepped through her door, that is because she would soon learn that he had lost all of his.


	2. Put our service to the test

Holy crap that took me a while did it not? Sorry about that! Hope you enjoy this chapter.

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The sun's morning light shined brightly though Hinata's window laying a soft glaze across her bed. Hinata woke that morning with an extra boost, reminding herself of the special task given to her specially by her father. She set her alarm to go off earlier than usual so that she could get ready and make the preparations in time before her training began. It was a pretty clever idea for a kindergartener. She fastened her hands into tiny fists and her lips pouted into a determined expression which in turn made her plump cheeks puff rounder. '_Now's the time. Fight Hinata, Fight' _was that she thought vigorously in her head.

She spent quite a few minutes trying to mentally boost her confidence so she would be successful in her job. So much in fact that when she glanced at the clock next to her she voiced out a high pitched gasp and shuffled out of bed. She stumbled to change out of her pajamas and into her proper house wear kimono, quickly glancing at the mirror to make sure she was presentable before dashing out the door. She came to a halt almost right away, suddenly realizing that the majority of the house was asleep and she would get into a lot of trouble if she was to awaken anyone. Changing her pace, Hinata tiptoed as quietly and as quickly as her feet could take her and made her way to the kitchen.

Once at her destination, Hinata reached for the doorknob, having to go up on her tippy-toes to reach it. She opened the door slightly to find the kitchen already occupied and to have the smell of baking reach her little button nose.

"Coco-neesan…" Hinata spoke.

"Good-morning Hinata-sama," the dark haired female greeted and bowed to the little main branch member respectfully, "You're up early."

Coco's similar white eyes were filled with a pleasant welcoming as she wiped the flour off her hands with the apron she wore. She rounded the counter and approached the door where she warmly gestured the cutely dumbfounded Hinata to come in by opening the door wider. Hinata twiddled with her fingers awkwardly before entering the kitchen.

She shyly pressed her index fingers mustering up the courage to ask, "W-What are you doing here, Coco-neesan? Y-You're not part of the kitchen st-staff…"

Coco bent down on one knee to level her eyes to match Hinata's, "You're right, I'm not." Coco touched Hinata's button nose with one finger and smiled, "I'm here for you Hinata-sama."

Hyuuga Coco was a branch family member and was a current chuunin level ninja who's side duties as a Hyuuga was to be Hinata's personal bodyguard and caretaker. She was assigned to protect Hinata at a young age after a tragic incident occurred when Hinata was even younger than she was now. The incident caused a great tension involving both the Branch and Main family. The scars between the main and branch have not completely healed but Coco did not let it affect her judgment. She was one of the few who had shown Hinata tender family love and was naturally nurturing towards Hinata.

"H-Help?" Hinata stuttered questionably.

"Yup! Let's show Hiashi-sama what you're made of." Coco winked with encouragement.

Hinata's big round eyes brightened, "Un!"

Hinata had never cooked seriously for someone but was determined to make the breakfast herself and made sure Coco-neesan did not help her, well… not help her too much. Hinata had to have Coco-neesan assist her with the things she couldn't do herself like for example the stove. And since Hinata was unsure of herself most of the time she always had questions for Coco-neesan. She asked her older relative to reach for ingredients her small form couldn't reach and how to make the recipe she wanted to prepare. In turn Coco accommodated by giving the ingredients for Hinata to mix and taught her how to cook the eggs over the stove without harming herself. Coco was kind and patient with Hinata, asking gently what Hinata thought Sasuke would like to drink and agreed wholeheartedly with Hinata's decision when she timidly pointed to one of the juice cartons. The setting of the plates and utensils were done by Hinata without any aid, which was perfectly fine because she was actually quite good with the presentation.

Once everything was done Hinata wasted no time admiring. She carefully picked up the tray and made her way back to the bedroom hallway, not before assuring Coco-neesan that the tray was not too heavy. She left the kitchen and Coco-neesan waved goodbye and encouraged a good luck. Everything was going according to plan as Hinata walked back. But as soon as Sasuke's door came into view, anxiety replaced her previous confidence and her feet stopped. All forms of doubt filled inside her, close to overflowing her mind. What if he doesn't like the food she prepared? What is she didn't make the food right? What is she tips and spills all the contents of the tray on the floor? Or worse… on Sasuke? What if he would glare at her like he did last night before he closed the door? What if, what if, what if

Hinata shook her head. This was not the time to worry. Saying those words to herself in her head did not stop her hands from shaking the tray she held, making the cutlery clank at her chest.

Maybe it was the ninja instincts, or maybe it was just her natural instincts to stay as quiet as humanly possible; whatever it was, Hinata made her way to Sasuke's door making as little noise as she could. The closer she got to the door the bigger it seemed to grow and silence seemed to grow quieter. Standing at the door she bent down, set the tray on the floor in front of the door, knocked twice… then scurried away quickly before she could be seen.

She stopped once she turned the corner, _'That was terrifying.' _She thought catching her breath.

Once her heart slowed to a steady rhythm she took a chance and peeked over the corner wall to see what would happen. A minute passed by… then another… and then another. Nothing.

_Maybe he's not hungry yet. _Hinata rationalized in her head. With that in mind she headed towards the dojo for her daily training.

She checked. Hinata checked a number of times during the day with no change. The tray just sat there untouched. She kept checking between her lessons and whenever she had free time. After a few hours of training with her father and dinner she rushed hopeful to the hallway with one last look, only to lose heart at the same sight she had seen all day. The food was cold and uneaten. No trace of any movement from the person inside the room.

Hinata stared at the tray that lay at her feet for a long time; her eyes squinted to hold back the tears and her shoulders lazed in a melancholy manner. Sniffing, she bent down to pick up the tray, slowly making her way to the kitchen. Her actions seemed to slow as she became very aware of her movements because each move made her heart sink further. She threw out the plate of food she worked so hard on and dumped the lukewarm juice into the sink, watching the liquid disappear in a clockwise swirl.

-

The few days that followed were not so different. Hinata woke early every morning to make Sasuke's breakfast, always trying different foods thinking that it was what she made that he didn't like. She always knocked twice and always ran before she was spotted, not knowing why she did so. Still, everyday ended with the same unsuccessful result. She had grown used to it, every day checking less and less times during the day. It still did not mean it saddened her less and less.

Hinata dumped every serving of food she made for him around the same time every evening. Sometimes she would nibble on whatever she had made that day just to see whether her food was really terrible enough to even be edible. She never thought it was all that bad but with no one to tell her otherwise insecurities took over. One day she took the juice box she had picked out that day and drank it quietly; her back leaned against the cupboard doors as she sipped through the plastic straw trying her hardest not to cry.

That door had not opened since that night he closed it shut. He didn't eat, he didn't come out, and she didn't know why. Hinata knew that he was in there and he was still alive and kicking.

Oh yes, Hinata knew this well.

-

It had started to occur the night after he arrived. Hinata was sound asleep in her bed dreaming the fairy tales every little girl dreamed. She cozily snuggled against her blanket sighing softly, unbeknownst to her of the bleak aura crawling outside her door.

Complete silence. The whole mansion turned mute for a dreadful moment stealing all the sounds that calm slumber. A sudden noise woke Hinata upright in a jolt. Even half-asleep, the sound made her heart stop in fear. _What was that? _The noise slowly became clear to her as the faint sound of agony filled her ears.

The outcry of someone in pain.

The voice became louder. It wasn't immediate for Hinata to recognize the voice crying out but once she did--

_Uchiha Sasuke… _She thought trembling.

The words he spoke were muffled by distance and closed doors. But the hate, the sadness, and the fear were so clear by his tone. Hinata's first instinct was to call out for her father but the scary sounds coming from the boy numbed her voice. Would her father come to her aid without her asking? Deep in her mind she already knew the answer. Her father's expression after the ANBU left told her that something bad had happened and the bad thing had happened to Uchiha Sasuke. And father had made it her responsibility to take care of him.

"STOP!!" Her heard Sasuke scream through her bedroom walls.

Hinata gasped, squeezing her blanket and pulling it closer to her. Her fear told her to call for help but the back of her mind repeated her father's words:

"_Hinata, I leave that boy to you."_

She whimpered, her hands still trembling. Why her? She thought pushing the covers away. She carefully crawled out of bed, her feet touching the cold wooden floor. It took her a minute for her eyes to adapt to the darkness yet it did nothing for her shivering.

Every step she struggled as if her feet were being pulled back by a heavy weight. With one hand she grasped the collar of her nightgown while her other hand reach out through the darkness feeling for her door. Her fingertips lightly touched the door and she—

"UWAHHH!! ANIKI PLEASE STOOOPPP!!!"

Hinata hastily recoiled her hand away from the door, turned around and ran back to security of her bed and into her bed covers. She shut her eyes tightly trying to force sleep upon herself from under her thick pillow. Cloudy white eyes watered under the eyelids of the little Hyuuga girl, reacting to the fear that overcame her.

_Aniki…?_ She thought lying in bed attempting to ignore the horrifying sounds outside her door. _Big brother…?_

Every night was torture. His moans and cries came every night and the only thing Hinata could do was cover her ears with her pillow to deafen the sounds. She didn't know what upset her more, the shouts of agony or her weakness to not help stop them.

-

The Hyuuga intended dojo was large and spacious, designed almost beautifully by dojo standards. Every piece of dark wood positioned perfectly on the floor, smooth against your feet. The lighting of the room was only of the natural nature, sunlight beaming through the window panels. Members of both the Branch and Main family kneeled and watched respectfully as the master directed his pupil.

"Keep your balance when you strike Hinata."

"R-right!" Hinata responded fixing her form.

Hiashi held his staff firmly with the palm of his hand, standing tall in front of his daughter waiting for her to compose herself. She positioned herself in the Hyuuga Gentle Fist stance she had been taught since she had first started training. In fact, she was still learning her basics which was the only reason the Branch members we allowed to watch.

"Now. Strike me!" He instructed.

"Yes!"

Hinata's training ended with not much improvement on her skill. Her father stared full of dissatisfaction for his daughter who sat on the floor rubbing her head in pain by the hit he inflicted easily at her attack. To the other members of the Hyuuga family who were watching, it was easy to see the disappointment and feel compassion towards little Hinata; with a few exceptions of course.

Just as the Branch members stood up for their turn on the floor of the dojo, the door slid open by a messenger who said, "Coco-san, there is someone at the front entrance who wishes to speak with you."

Coco-neesan looked to the messenger and without a word she coldly accepted the message, stood up, and left in perfect servitude. Hinata had never gotten used to Coco-neesan acting in her professional Chuunin-Branch member manner and was always uncomfortable seeing her caretaker so serious. But what Hinata did not see was Coco-neesan's struggle to keep her indifference nor did Hinata know the reason why.

Training ended much earlier than usual because the Hyuuga mistress had asked to speak to the Hyuuga leader. Being so little Hinata made no attempt to understand what was going on. Hinata rushed down the hallway, avoiding her year older cousin's gaze as she passed him. Even without looking she could feel his anger on her back as she ran to her room to quickly change out of her sweaty clothes. She held appreciation for her cotton kimono as she incorrectly tied the obi around her waist. A child her age couldn't possibly be able to put on a kimono herself but she tried her best.

After hours of vigorous training it was time for something a little more calming. The answer to that was her flower arrangement lesson. On her way to the garden she passed a few family members who acknowledged her politely and as expected the attention made her tilt her head to the side shyly. She passed Uchiha Sasuke's room as always, glancing at the tray she left on the floor that morning. Her expectations lessened a bit but she was still hopeful of walking passed one day and she would meet an empty hallway.

Her worries did not lessen.

It was particularly loud scurrying by her parents' bedroom that she couldn't help by stop to listen. A child's curiosity.

"I do not want my daughter near that boy. Not only are you putting such a difficult and unreasonable task on her, but you are also imposing danger on Hinata by putting those two together!" A feminine voice bellowed though the closed doors of Hinata's parents' quarters.

"It is not confirmed that _he _will come back for the boy. And even if he were to make a move, there are ANBU and our own clan members as an extra precaution. It would be too much of a risk to go after the boy in these conditions." The make voice responded calm but firm

"How can you ignore the massacre!!!"

"Do not be mistaken, I did not want to agree to these circumstances but this is a direct request from the Fourth Hokage. There is much more to this affair than you know."

"What about the boy himself, hmm? His screams are so terrifying that it makes even the strongest of our members shiver. What are you to do about that? What makes you think a girl of her age can handle it?"

"As long as the boy does not get in my way, his mental recovery is of no concern to me." Hiashi spoke coolly, "Let Hinata take care of him for the time being. She needs to learn to not be so useless."

Harsh words from a harsh father.

_I'm no good at this… _Hinata thought grimly walking around the plants. In no particular hurry to practicing, she wandered about until she stood face to face with the Hyuuga garden's largest tree. She looked straight up at the fruit tree that stood tall in front of her. Her keen white eyes saw the little buds that were starting to grow from the branches.

"Is something wrong?" a voice questioned behind Hinata.

"Coco-neesan! Ah, n-no. I-It's nothing r-r-really… It looks l-like the fruits are going to… ripen soon…" Hinata's voice lowered as she spoke.

"Hmm… I do believe that you're right. We'll be able to pick them soon. And then maybe you could give some to the new guest. You think Uchiha Sasuke would like it?"

Hinata felt calmer looking up to see her caretaker smiling down at her like her warm loving self again, but hearing Sasuke's name out loud made Hinata flinch involuntarily. Coco read Hinata's face easily and almost kicked herself realizing her mistake.

"Hinata-sama, would you like to come shopping with me?"

"S-Shopping…?"

It wasn't difficult to get Hinata to agree. She was of course unsure to say yes at first since she was supposed to be practicing, but Coco assured her that there wouldn't be a problem so Hinata didn't oppose the offer. The two girls left the mansion, Hinata sticking close to her caretaker as they walked to the main market street and Coco protecting her closely in a motherly manner. Walking down the streets, the two Hyuugas looked like sisters to the other citizens of Konohana.

What would seem as a stroke of coincidence, they arrived just as the street began to crowd with people eager to shop like them. It was crowed enough that Hinata did not have to try to close the distance between herself and Coco. Left and right Hinata saw women and men, mostly women, walk into and out of stalls and small stores shopping for tonight's dinner. It made Hinata think of the scary boy residing in a certain room and with that she thought that maybe there was something in the market that Sasuke would like.

Hinata heard a crash not too far away. It was loud enough to catch everyone's eye to see what was going on. Through the midst of the crowd Hinata could see a boy being thrown out of a small dango restaurant, falling to the ground. It took a minute for her to focus but once she did she recognized the boy's spikey blond hair.

_He's from the academy…his name is…? I can't remember._ She thought.

The owner of the restaurant stepped out of the front door waving a kitchen utensil in the air.

"No money. No food. I've told you this a thousand times." The owner stated sharply, "Now get moving, I have **real** customers to feed."

With that he walked back into his restaurant and Hinata could hear his muffled voice apologizing to his customers, Turning her attention back to the boy, she saw him huff his chest in anger. He fumbled to stand up and one he did he stomped his one foot in the direction of the restaurant.

He balled his hands into fists and shouted stubbornly, "FINE! I didn't want to eat your stupid food IN THE FIRST PLACE!"

He continued to glare at the restaurant and that was when the whispering began.

"Hey, is that-…?"

"Yeah, I think it is."

"It's _him_!"

"Who does he think he is? Honesty…"

Hinata noticed the boy loose his composure; his eyes widened and his body shook slightly.

"Mommy, who is it?"

"Stay away from him. He's no good."

" He's a monster. A good for nothing."

A villager passed by him and shoved him, as if on purpose.

"Watch where you're going." The villager spat.

"That _thing _deserves to be put away."

The rumors spread like waves against the sea of people. Hinata looked up at each voice she heard coming left and right, each word was spoken about her classmate. Her curiosity sparked as she wondered why. A part of her inside knew that what they were saying wasn't right and wanted desperately to tell them to stop because they were making him sad. The boy looked like he was going to cry. She could hear him sniffle.

"Hinata, lets go." Coco-neesan gestured to move on. She noticed Hinata's upset expression appear once again and tried smiling in attempt to cheer her up, "I'll buy you an ice cream."

Hinata's expression did not go away but she still nodded and they walked away from the dying scene.

"He'll never amount to anything." Hinata heard another whisper.

"I'LL SHOW YOU!!"

Hinata whipped her head around back to the scene but had a hard time focusing because Coco-neesan continued to walk, dragging her along.

"I'll show you ALL!!! I'll do something so great that you will all have to recognize me! Then you'll all remember the name Uzumaki Naruto!!!" He yelled at the top of his lungs.

His chest heaved angrily but he received no reaction from the crowed. Hinata used her bloodline limit to get a closer focus on the boy who was fading away with distance. He tried so hard to hide his tears. He continued to harshly whisper of his determination to himself .

"Uzumaki…Naruto…?" She repeated softly to herself.

"Did you say something?"

"A-ano… n-nothing."

For the rest of the afternoon Hinata had a hard time concentrating on guessing Uchiha Sasuke's favourite foods.

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I hope to get some more good critical feedback. I'm not going to lie… the reviews kept me going. Long ones hint hint :) Please be kind! Thank you so much for your reviews from the first chapter. I really adored reading them.

Preview:

_"I-I was j-just w-w-wondering… maybe you'd like t-to- um… come with m-me to school?"_

_"I want vengence."_

_"You're useless as an heir."_

_"Sasuke-kun doesn't seem to like me all that much..."_

_"Foolish little brother...If you wish to kill **me**, **hate me**, detest **me**...and survive in an unsightly way. Run. Run and cling to life"_


	3. Tie your napkin around your neck

I like reviews *wink*

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"And remember to study the basic jutsu names for the test next week." Hinata's sensei instructed, "Next week we go on to actually putting these jutsu into practice. So be prepared."

In unison the whole kindergarten class acknowledged their task just as the bell rang signaling for break. Immediately the children's attention faltered in favor of the idea of lunch time, almost every one of them getting up to get their bags. Iruka-sensei was about to scold them about rules and waiting until dismissed but seeing their brightened faces he sighed in defeat.

"You may all go to lunch now." He chuckled placing his papers on his desk.

Hinata being one of the few to stay put in her seat finally got up and shuffled her way to her backpack. She stopped dead in her tracks when she heard one of her classmates ask their sensei a question.

"Iruka-sensei, when is Sasuke-kun coming back?" the blond girl named Ino asked curiously.

"Yeah, yeah! Where did he go?" Another classmate asked.

"Is he sick?"

"Can we go visit him?"

"Did something happen to him?"

"Hold on! Hold on!" Iruka-sensei gestured for them to calm down, a bead of sweat dripping down the side of his face in reaction to the children's bombarding questions, "Uchiha Sasuke is taking a leave of absence for now but he will be back soon."

Iruka glanced in Hinata's direction for a brief moment after he finished his sentence. Once again he reassured the rest of the class in a gentle manner so they could forget their curiosity and move along to the next important subject: food. They brought out their lunches, quickly rushing to their groups of friends to trade whatever snack they had to offer. It didn't take much for Hinata to follow suit.

_Sasuke-kun still won't come out of his room._ She thought woefully. Just the thought of that room at night with his screams made her want to tear up in fear. Now that she was thinking about it, Sasuke was not in class for a number of days before he came to her home. She didn't pay much attention beforehand and simply thought that he was sick like everyone else. Where did he go?

_Well, he's at my house right now. _For some reason Hinata couldn't just simply say those words out loud that moment when everyone asked. She wasn't sure why, maybe it was because she couldn't gather up the courage to speak, or maybe it was that little voice in her head telling her that her classmates weren't allowed to know. Did Iruka-sensei know? Hinata looked up at Iruka-senei but when he noticed her he didn't give her that look he did earlier but he just smiled as usual. Maybe he doesn't know either…

Once school was over Hinata went home as usual, put her backpack in her room as usual, changed into her kimono as usual, and went to check up on Sasuke as usual. And as usual much to her disappointment, there was another plate of wasted food waiting for her to throw out.

After her training with her father Hinata headed straight to the kitchen. She was so proud of herself for learning all these different ways to cook. She kept imagining her father one day saying how impressed he was with the food she made him. Shopping with Coco-neesan was very fun. She got to choose her own ingredients and everything!

She quickly made some preparation for the next day. It was something she learned from the cooks; if you have some things ready the day before you get to sleep more. She really liked that advise because she was kind of getting tired as of late. No worries now! She thought brightly trying to not think too much about who she was making these plates of food for.

_I'm thirsty._ She thought.

After grabbing a cup from the cupboard she made her way to the fridge. Her hands were so small and tiny that she hugged the glass tight with one arm to keep it steady. The pitcher of juice was going to be a bigger challenge, but she could do it she thought confidently. When she closed the fridge door there was someone standing unexpectedly behind it, catching her off-guard

She shrieked dropping all that was in her hands to the floor. Luckily, the glass cup didn't break but instead spun like a fast-forwarding clock on the floor. The juice pitcher however spilled everywhere on the floor between her and-

"N-Neiji-niisan!" She stuttered with her hands over her chest, "You s-sc-cared m-me."

Silence was her only answer. Even while looking to the ground at her mess she could see the frown her cousin was giving her. It didn't make her feel good.

"S-sorry…" She whispered.

"Hiashi-sama calls for you." His voice was cold, too cold for that of a child. Neji seemed unaffected by the puddle of juice at reached his feet and just walked away.

"O-k-kay." She responded.

She cleaned up the mess and forgot all about her thirst.

* * *

_I hope he likes tomatoes…_ Hinata thought trying to be optimistic about Sasuke while she walked to the Academy. While grocery shopping she saw a stand full of vegetables and the red ripe tomatoes caught her eye. She begged Coco-neesan to buy them. When her guardian did, she commented on the good eye Hinata had for spotting such good tomatoes.

Hearing the sound of footsteps behind her reminded her that Neiji was following her from a distance. They went to the same school yet he never once walked with her. It made her sad… No matter, no matter. For a brief moment she wondered if she asked her cousin to walk next to her, would he agree? The only problem with that is having to actually ask him. It's scary talking to Neiji-niisan! He always seems so angry for no reason.

_Unless I did something wrong and I didn't say sorry…_? She thought worriedly, fiddling with her thumbs as she walked. Het thoughts were sidetracked when someone bumped into her abruptly causing her to fall to the ground on her hands and knees. _Ouch! That really hurt! What was that? _Hinata looked up to see blond spikey hair being ruffled by dirt-covered hands. That same hair brushed against her nose when the kid looked up and with squinty eyes he stared at her big round milky eyes.

"U-Umaki N-Na-Nakatu-kun?"

"Ehhh? Who's that?" The boy responded densely.

"NARUTOOOO! Come back here you delinquent brat!"

Naruto quickly stood up shouting back that the storeowner running towards him, "Ano ano… I don't know what delingquer is!" He laughed.

The man growled in response and sped towards Naruto at a faster pace causing Naruto to squeal and run away, completely forgetting about the girl he ran into. Hinata coughed at the dust that reached her when they passed her. She stared off in their direction in a daze. There he was again, that weird boy.

"Hinata-sama, you're going to be late if you keep standing there." Neiji-niisan said coldly standing next to her.

"Y-yes… I'm sorry." Hinata apologized

* * *

When Hinata arrived home that afternoon she found her usually untouched plate outside Sasuke-kun's room. But this time the tomatoes disappeared from the plate, freshly eaten.


End file.
